


Found Spirit

by TascaOrWhatever (orphan_account)



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe- The End never occurred, Beginning loosely based on Mystery Skull's Ghost, Brief mention of a fan character, EW Ghost Au, Eddsworld AU, Eddsworld Ghost AU, Gen, Main Story, Tord Paul and Patryk are ghosts, Tord's army, brief mention of smoking, death mention, just friendships, no ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-09 22:47:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6927088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/TascaOrWhatever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's rumored that when someone passes away without reaching their deepest achievement, their soul will be lost on Earth, unable to leave until they find a way to accomplish their goal. When Tom, Matt and Edd force their way back into Tord's life, he sees the opportunity to use them to achieve what he can only guess is his goal- taking over the world. Clearly, however, everything is easier said than done.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Found Spirit

"This is going to be amazing!" An excited voice rang out from the buzz of music in the car, "I'm going to get so many new novelty toys for my collection!" He cheered, all-but ignored by the other two passengers in the car.

"Don't you already have enough junk?" Another voice piped up, the owner turning to glance, unamused, to the over-excited ginger. "Don't forget the time it got us into trouble," the rest of the sentence was grumbled under the blue-wearer's breath, unwilling to be scolded by the driver, and told to "be nice".

Eventually, the chatter died down, and the three sat, content to just listen to whatever awful hyperactive pop-singer was spewing out on the radio, occasionally repeating the dumber of the lyrics heard.

The car spluttered to a pitiful stop miles away from where the trio had actually meant to be with a dying cough- of course, though, that would be their luck with all the predicaments they had previously gotten themselves into. Excited chattering died down into silence, and two pairs of eyes drew to the driver. 

"Edd, why has the car stopped?!" A hand gripped the back of said man's seat-- said seat was then used to then hoist the ginger forward to be face-to-face(-to face) with the other two in the car. A rather nervous chuckle pulled itself from the confines of the man in the driver's seats mouth. "Edd?" The redhead asked once more, after that, the question ignored in favor of the man in the passenger seat's remark. 

"You didn't put enough gas in the tank, did you?" An unamused voice rang out clearly from the driver's left, and a shameful nod of the head confirmed said suspicions. 

"Hey, at least we stopped in front of a building! Maybe whoever is still here would let us stay the night, and then we could figure something out tomorrow?" Edd, optimistic as usual, lifted his shoulders into a shrug, and his hands up in a way of indicating that there was no need to get angry

"Edd, that building looks pretty.... Abandoned." The passenger, Tom, crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at his companion, before turning back to look at the building. "I'm not sure if staying there is the best idea-" he continued, before being cut off from a voice towards the back of the car.

"I can't sleep in the car!" The voice whined, to be met with a groan of "uhg, fine."

"Perfect!" Edd cheered, opening his door and stepping into the night. "It's only for a few hours. Nothing could go wrong. Everything will be perfectly..." He opened his eyes in the middle of his monologue, finding that his companions had already began to walk to the large building. "Hey- wait up!" He yelped, jogging to catch up.

The three slowed to a meander, looking around the yard that expanded around the property. The grass was yellow and lifeless, decorated with weeds that sucked the life out of the shrubs. Cans and bottles littered the ground, and shards of glass caught the light of the moon and stars, reflecting it about the yard. Weapons were hastily concealed in now long-dead bushes, causing the three to continue up the winding path to the door cautiously. The path itself seemed to be the least taken care of of all, the stones protruding from the rest of the leveled-off ground in awkward and dangerous angles, and even had sudden holes from where steps had seemingly been moved away.

"This was a terrible idea," the huffed comment came from Tom as Edd brought his hand up to knock on the door.

"Excuse me," the green clad began as he lightly rapped his fist against the door. An ominous creak sounded, causing the words to tumble out before dying all together as the large piece of wood forced itself inwards slowly, leading to the three paling in the moonlight. The now-open door revealed a dark room, only a small portion of a red carpet showing from the dull light of the stars. Their shadows spilled like paint spills into the house and onto the floor, and the three slowly creeped inside, wary and suspicious. Warm-colored lights flickered on one by one down a corridor, and the door slammed shut loudly behind them.

The three quickly huddled together, turning around and staring at the door. "Tom... Edd... Let's go back to the car. I've changed my mind." Matt whispered, seeming to have lost full use of his voice due to shock. 

"This is the one and only time I'm agreeing with him on this. I told you this was a terrible idea," Tom grunted, but tensed as a chorus of warbling groans sounded behind them.

They slowly swiveled to look towards the large staircase in the middle of the finely-decorated room, being met by two figures that appeared to have simply materialized from thin air.

They were dressed in similar uniforms- red turtleneck under a blue coat that opened and seemed to flare into two tales that slowly faded into nothing, the sides lined with rose-gold buttons and red accents, along with mahogany pants and boots. They had name tags pinned to their long coats as well- one read Patryk, the other upside down, but Paul was neatly printed on it.

The only unsettling part about the two- of course, except for the fact that they appeared out of no where and had large weapons on them- was the fact that everything about them had a red tint, and they were not completely opaque as a human should be.

There was a pause of silence as the three had to take a moment to really understand what stood before them- Edd took this time to really inspect the room around him. A beautifully crafted chandelier hung from the ceiling, and a plush red rug- admittedly dirty and trampled with muddy boot marks- was on the floor under their feet, creased with age. A grand staircase was towards the opposite wall of the room, two sides slowly curving into one, lit candles equally spread on either side. Along the walls leading to the staircase were light-weight looking suits of armor, minus the helmets, but of course with the weapons- the very large, very sharp weapons. Three portraits hung equidistant from each other, the two on the outside having the alive faces of the- ghosts?- while the one in the middle had the top half- head, face and all- ripped and folded over itself. The only features that could be made out from the middle painting was a partially obscured red hood, with the matching, if not somewhat nicer, blue coat that the other two had.

"Holy shit-" the blue-clad began before coming to his senses, "Ghosts," Tom seemed to huff out the clarification of what the two in front of them could have been, "of course the creepy old abandoned mansion has ghosts. Why wouldn't it?!" His voice crept to a louder volume slowly, until he was shouting his annoyance to the chandelier above them.

The hearts that were on the outside of them, rather than the inside as they should be, Edd noted, were beating in unison to an unheard beat. Edd gulped, gripping onto Tom's arm and Matt's hood, pulling them back with him as he took two steps backwards to match the ghosts' one step towards them.

The three felt the cool wood of the door hit their backs, trapping them in the presence of the ghosts. 

"Come on now, would you be so kind as to let us go?" Matt's shaky voice cut the silence, along with the jiggling of a useless door knob. "It would be greatly appreciated," he continued, adding a fake laugh for emphasis. 

Edd put his arms in front of Matt and Tom, green eyes darting around the room for a possible exit- or, at the very least, somewhere to take refuge from the two spirits in front of them. His eyes brightened as he noticed a door askew from the staircase, just to the right of it- a similar one mirrored it to the left, but Edd had decided that the right was the right way to go- there was more room to escape the ghosts that way.

A gentle tug on the sleeves of Tom's blue hoodie and Matt's green overcoat gave them just a brief moments notice before Edd quickly took off towards the door, pulling his two companions in tow behind him, past the now-bewildered ghosts and through the grand room. The weapons from the suits of armor clang and clash against the floor as the three pass in a colorful blur against the red walls of the room, causing them to startle and speed up even more. The running seemed to last forever, until the last crash of metal against hardwood flooring was just an echo around the room, and Edd reached a shaking hand forward to open the previously spotted door.

He pushed Tom and Matt through the door, following the two closely behind. Edd poked his head out and looked to make sure the ghosts hadn't followed before slamming the door shut behind him- they were shroud in darkness for at most half a minute, before a red lighting illuminated the room, casting long, creepy shadows that sprouted from the boys' feet.

"Perfect. What do you suppose we do now?" Tom's voice brought all attention back to the situation at hand as the three wandered down the hallway.

"We just wait this all out. Besides, it isn't that terrible!" Edd assured, patting Matt on the back as he did so as if to prove his point.

The ginger gave a half- smile in response, straightening his posture. "I suppose you're right, Edd!" He stopped in front of a mirror, turning to look at his reflection. He inspected it briefly before giving a large grin to his companion's reflections and his own, turning back to talk to them once more.

"Now, let's go explore!" Matt cheered, childishly pulling on Tom and Edd's hands to drag them forward in the hallway, away from the mirror. 

Distracted by this gesture from Matt, neither Edd nor Tom noticed the reflection in the glass warp their forms into completely different forms of themselves- the three of them were facing away, watching a fourth male make the walk of shame away from a small house. Of course, the three also didn't notice the wisps of red that curled around the image of their reflections before depleting all together as the three marched down the hall, ignoring the hairs on the back of their necks standing alert from the feeling of being watched by the paintings whose eyes seemed to move.

 

Heads turned and eyes widened as they walked down the corridor, occasionally pointing their lines of vision through open doorways, or stepping away from the middle of the hall to inspect a painting closer. The red mist was easily ignored by the three, and the young adults continued to ignore it as they slowly ambled through the never-ending hallway.

As the boys passed the paintings, the crimson haze seemed to seep into the portraits, and the paintings came to life- they blinked, and stretched the muscles of their face, unbeknownst to the three strangers to the mansion. The haunted illustrations shared wicked grins, beginning to silently peel themselves from the confines of their oil-painted backgrounds, and one exceptionally- devious painted maiden peeled herself from the confines of her painting. The long twin-braids of her hair fell in front of her, briefly tangling with the cord she reached for, before she grasped it with a gloved hand and gave it a harsh yank- a wide, happy smile spread across her face, as she had done the one thing Red Leader had asked all his followers to do- send the blue one to him. She pulled herself back into her painting, a whole new expression frozen on her face- one of glee, the glee of being able to follow Red Leader's biggest request.

"...So I guess I'll hand it to you, Edd. Minus those ghosts, I guess this place isn't that-" Tom's reluctant sentence was abruptly cut off by the groaning of the floor below him. The eyeless man looked down to the carpet below his feet, letting out a startled yelp upon noticing that the floorboards underneath were beginning to separate, and at a rather fast pace. Unfortunately, not unlike the rest of the building, mostly everything in the hallway had been some form of sharp weaponry and all that came out of Tom's attempt of saving himself was a ripped hoodie sleeve. 

Tom, Edd and Matt began the descent of falling down the trap door- Matt and Edd reached towards each other to ground themselves, but when they went to grab for Tom as well, they had found he had been pulled back into the inky black abyss- the only sign he has even fallen with them was the disturbance of the debris falling around them, and the torn piece of blue fabric that drifted at a slower pace just above them, along with the defining, echoing yell that could only belong to Tom fading away from Matt and Edd's.

Upon landing safely, although uncomfortably, on the clean tiled floor of a kitchen, the two dared not discuss the though that had surely crossed both their minds-

Where had Tom gone?

And was that the last time they were ever going to see him? 

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦ ✧

Tom felt the ground underneath him before he saw it- black surrounded him, and when he raised his hands to his face he was only just barely able to make out the outline of his fingers.

A single red flame appeared, followed by one more, and then another- dots of red fire appeared until the room was decently illuminated, and Tom quickly stood up and spun around to take in his surroundings, an odd clash of blue against red. Red carpet, red walls-- too much red, really. The room had a large black double door and no windows- with the fall, Tom assumed that he was underground. Ignoring the black spots that invaded his vision, he simply rubbed tightly-clenched fists against his eyes as he deconstructed the room visually, before turning back to the direction he had originally been facing when he fell.

A large scarlet, half-transparent ghost wearing a red sweatshirt under a blue coat stared him down, the two tails of the coat fading from a blue all the way to a dull red, that eventually ceased to be visible all together. A crimson sash was wrapped around his mid-section, and Tom took note of the way his fists had a red essence swirling from them, much brighter than the one emitting from the being's blank white eyes. He was slightly hovering off the floor- it gave him even more height, causing the poltergeist to completely tower over Tom, even going as far to cast shadows in his wake. It seemed as though the red essence from his eyes was the culmination of his being, holding his image together. Oddly enough, to Tom, something seemed familiar about the ghost, but he couldn't place it exactly- the red image of the being in front of him swirled, unstable.

The sound of the Tom's foot hitting the cement as he took a step back seemed deafening in the tense atmosphere, and the human ground his teeth as he tilted his head at the ghost.

"What do you want?"

Tom's voice was more firm than he expected it to be- sure, he was used to the paranormal shenanigans he and his friends often found themselves in, but never was he separated from them, let alone weapon-less, or with a seemingly magic undead ghost that already had it out for him.

The narrow, blank white eyes of the ghost raised in confusion, as if he felt Tom should already know why he had appeared- wasn't it obvious?

"What- Do you think I know what the hell I did? I've done lots of shit, buddy, to lots of people, so you might need to explain." Tom crossed his arms and straightened his posture, tapping his foot lightly.

A look of realization hit the ghost, and he snapped his fingers comically. Tom hated to admit that he may have laughed at the hilarity of the gesture, if not for the immediate action that followed.

Directly after snapping, the ghost's appearance began to change, and he even began to gain a somewhat physical form- the sickening swirls of magma-looking Magic became into a more real, liquid looking substance, although it didn't move outside the form of the human- the coat's tails shrunk into two short ones, giving the clothing a more causal look- Finally, the "hair" of the ghost formed up into two spikes that hit all too close to home...

Tom's eyes widened in recognition and horror as the hair style brought back previously locked up memories, and the corner of his mouth subconsciously twitched into a scowl upon seeing who this being really was.

"Tord. I should have known it was you by the horrid color," Tom sneered, lowering his arms from their previously crossed stance and flexing his hands at his sides restlessly. 

Tord mimicked the action with his own hands, the red magic twinkling and curling outwards before vanishing, a familiar yet different laugh coming from every which way in the room.

"Thomas." Tom would never admit to the fact that he startled at the voice- it didn't come directly from Tord, but it instead came from all around the two of them- it was scratchy as if it hadn't been used in ages, and crackled on the last syllable

"It's good to see you again, old friend," The voice continued sarcastically, and the ghost- no, Tord- lowered himself to the ground slowly, no noise sounding as it should have when he touched the floor. The red magic swirled out in a cloud before fading away, as it was not being used to suspend the ghost in the air anymore. Tord circled himself around Tom as he spoke, "Admittedly, I would have much preferred it if it were Edd who had fallen down here- or maybe even Matt, even if I have asked for you specifically,"

Tom's eyes suspiciously followed every movement Tord made- it had been years since he had last seen the red man, let alone heard from him- and they did not necessarily leave each other on the best of terms, and Tom knew it wise to keep his guard up.

"But... I suppose everything happens for a reason." Tord suddenly stopped in front of Tom's face, and a rather bright spark of red came from the undead's fists.

"I do have a question, still," Tord continued quickly before Tom could respond, unwilling to give the stubborn a chance to speak, "Why, exactly, are you in my mansion? I told you all that I would not be coming back." The voice had a sarcastic and annoyed lilt to it, causing something akin to a growl to rise in Tom's throat.

When Tord didn't immediately go to speak again, Tom realized it was a question he was actually meant to answer.

"Don't get cocky, we weren't actually seeking you out," Tom hissed in reply, shoving his hands in his pockets before quickly removing them, jabbing his finger in Tord's- face? 

"We were on a road trip and the car broke down. 'Had no where to go except here." Tom once more crossed his arms irritably, before raising an eyebrow. "Why do you care anyway?"

"I do not care about you more than I care about why you must come into my home and not just stay in your car," came Tord's snarky accented reply, the answer Tom should have expected from his old rival. 

"Edd and Matt didn't want to," Tom forced out his response, no longer intimidated more than angered to be in the presence of this ghost, now knowing full well that it was, in fact, Tord. "It was two against one, and of course I never win those arguments." A huff followed his sentence, and he tapped his fingers against his arms rhythmically.

Tord only seemed half-interested in Tom's response, and he toyed with the red magic that was produced by his hands. "Yes, yes, of course," he replied once Tom finished talking, tilting his head back up towards the one standing opposite of him, diminishing the red magic. 

Tord stretched his arms out above him, letting out an over-exaggerated fake yawn, just to ruffle Tom's feathers. A Cheshire grin spread across Tord's face, his blank eyes gaining small gray pupils and red irises, further making the ghost look more and more human-like.

"Speaking of the mansion," Tom turned his back on Tord, walking towards one of the skulls that decorated the room, picking it up carelessly before continuing, "why are you even here? And why the hell are you... Dead? Are you dead? It seems like you can interact with things just fine, somehow. And what's with the get-up?" Tom turned his head to raise an eyebrow at Tord, tossing the skull over his shoulder. 

Bristling at Tom's purposeful aloofness, Tord's eyes sparked, and he had to take a moment before responding, as to not completely attack Tom. He covered his face with his hand, dragging it down, already exhausted by Tom's presence, and the constant stream of questions coming from the young adult, who was acting more like a toddler who was just introduced to the world.

"If I have a big following of people I need to house, I need a big building, no?" Tord said this as if it should have been obvious to Tom- before he could continue to explain, Tom cut him off.

"Woah, what do you mean you have a big following of people?" Tom did a crude mimic of Tord's accent, narrowing his eyes at the deceased. "What... What have you been up to?" He took a step back subconsciously, remembering all the weapons that had been strewn about the dead yard. 

"I was raising an army. Was that not obvious?" Tord spoke as though this were a casual conversation he'd have over dinner, crossing his arms and allowing himself to briefly hover over the ground again. "As I was saying before you interrupted me," Tord growled, eyes narrowing once again at Tom menacingly.

"Now then. You already know why I am currently the way I am- I do not know why you even asked," the red made a hissing noise, shaking his head, his hair following in suit. He ignored Tom's attempt to once again interrupt him, and instead chose to continue speaking, "and this is the proper uniform for the leader of my army. There, do those answers satisfy you, princess?" Tord remarked sarcastically, flicking his hand in a dismissive gesture.

Tom grit his teeth, instinctively pulling his hands into fists at his sides. "Don't start with me," he growled, "I don't wanna be here any more than you want me here." 

A laugh surrounded the two in the room, and Tom's eyebrows lifted in confusion. 

"Don't want you here? Thomas, I've been waiting for this moment since I've left." Tord pulled his hands behind his back, floating over to the dropped skull. His hand seemed to change in a minor way that Tom couldn't comprehend, until Tord bent over and picked up the skull Tom has thrown, inspecting the small crack on the top of it as he waited for Tom to process his words. 

"I... Huh? But... Don't you hate me?" Tom raised a finger before putting it back down, scratching at the top of his head.

"Oh yes!" Tord nodded rather enthusiastically, turning to look back at Tom. "Well- tolerate. I can tolerate you. In very small doses?" Tord tilted his head, "microscopic," he corrected, bringing two fingers together in a "small" gesture.

"Thanks." Tom gave a flat reply, "If you really love me that much," he snarked, "why aren't you running me out of here? Rather- why were you waiting for this moment? Can't you just posses me?"

"To get rid of you, of course. I can't have you in my way, yes?" Tord asked, hands propped up on his sides. "I don't need you ruining my plans." He answered, ignoring the last part of the question, instead lifting his hand upwards and flicking it at the wrist, producing a bright red flame.

Tom gulped, nodding slightly. "Ah," he made a noise of reply, slowly taking a step back, towards the black doors. Usually he'd be one to willingly jump into the fight, but even just as him versus one person, this fight had been won by Tord already. It was horrendously unfair, and both young adults were fully aware of that fact.

"I have one last question." Tom said slowly, now directly in front of the double doors.

"Fine. What do you need answered now?" Tord sighed, exasperated.

"How are you managing to touch things? Can't ghosts not do that kind of stuff?" Tom asked, slowly placing his hand on the doorknob behind him, attempting to distract Tord with the question.

"Well, ghosts are not supposed to be seen either, yes? Not everything from scary stories are true, Thomas. If I concentrate my energy, or take some of a mortal's, I can interact with..." Tord opened an eye upon hearing the squeaking of a door.

The ghost's image flashed angrily as he noted the fact that the one he was answering had run out of the room. Tord grew a bright red in color, before disappearing from the room completely, only leaving a burn mark on the floor below where he was standing from the fire that had appeared at his feet from anger.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦ ✧

"Edd..Do you think Tom's... Gone?" Matt asked, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat. 

Edd blinked harshly, turning to look at his companion. "No, Matt." He replied, "this isn't even the worst situation we've gotten ourselves into. A little fall won't hurt him!" Edd punched Matt lightly on the shoulder, eliciting a whining noise from the red-head.

"Yeah, I... I suppose you're right!" Matt answered, his voice more cheery, seemingly satisfied with the answer that Edd provided.

The two meandered around the building, exploring the main floor that they had landed on in search of a staircase to go back upstairs.

"Maybe he just landed in a different room, and we'll find him." Edd assured, unsure if he was saying it more for himself or Matt.

"Maybe he found the staircase. Or a bedroom!" Matt seemed to agree, nodding along happily, lifting his hands up triumphantly.

"Yeah... Maybe." Edd mumbled, slowly sliding his hands into his pocket, not entirely sure if he believed his own sentence.

Of course he'd like to remain optimistic, but he remembered seeing the weapons, and he was wary of the atmosphere of the mansion- but it really wasn't that bad. Tom would be able to manage himself, he was an adult.

While listening to Matt talking to him, and thinking to himself quietly, Edd hadn't realized the fact that Matt was pointing out the sound of footsteps. 

"Is that- oof" Edd began, letting out a grunt as the noise ran directly into him, throwing him onto the ground.

"Tom!" Matt's voice rang out, louder than Edd's groan and Tom's grunt from hitting the floor.

"You're back!" The red-haired continued, lifting Tom effortlessly off of the collapsed Edd. "We were just talking about you!"

"Oh, good," Tom huffed out as a reply, "but I really think we should keep the small talk for later and get the hell out of here." 

Matt pulled the dazed Edd up as Tom brushed himself off, tilting his head like a baby animal.

"Why would we do that? This place is awfully nice, and they'll have actual bedrooms-" Matt gushed, propping his hands on his hips and looking around.

"The- What about the ghosts?!" Tom's eyes widened, and his hands moved wildly.

"But... This isn't the first time we've faced the undead." Edd dusted dirt off his sweatshirt, pulling a face at the cloud of brown that formed from the mess.

"Didn't something strike you as odd about these ghosts though? Something familiar?" Tom pushed, pointing to some of the decorations in the hallway.

"You're acting weird. What did you see when we got separated?" Edd asked, sticking his hands in his pockets. 

"An old friend," Tom sarcastically replied, giving a large, annoyed frown.

"Thanks for being specific," Edd replied, "but do we even know anyone who died...?" He trailed off, removing his hands from his pocket and tapping his chin comically.

"Uh, guys?" Matt's voice was small, and came from further down the hall.

"Well apparently," Tom huffed, ignoring the interruption.

"Guys," Matt repeated, louder now. 

"Could you please just say who it was?" Edd asked, batting his eyelashes, causing Tom to snort.

"Fine. It was-" 

"Tord!" Matt yelped, finally drawing the attention of Edd and Tom.

Their heads turned to look at Matt, and it dawned on them that they weren't alone in the room together.

"Tord!" Edd echoed Matt, more gleeful than scared. "It's been ages!" He continued, walking towards Matt and Tord.

"Hello to you too, friend," Tord grinned, holding his hands behind his back.

Tom trailed behind Edd, less than willing to be near the ghost again. "Don't you notice something different about him?" Tom asked, noting the sudden exhaustion he felt in Tord's presence- weird.

Tord's form flickered, losing some of the red tint and returning to more normal colors, the transparency of his form turning to something more opaque.

"What brings you to my home?" Tord asked, giving a sickly sweet fake smile.

"Oh, sorry to intrude-" Edd was quick to apologize, "we were on our way to this convention and the car ran out of gas. It's a good thing we ended up here and not with some crazy killer, right?" He joked, laughing lightly.

Tord forced out a laugh, nodding in false agreement. "Yes, yes, that is a good thing!" He crossed his fingers behind his back, smirking.

"Edd, did you not notice all the guns and weapons that are all over the place and in the yard?!" Tom hissed, throwing his hands out.

"Ah, do not worry, those are merely, ah... Paint guns." Tord spoke slowly, ruffling Tom's hair, sending a chill down the eyeless man's spine, and a vivid thought through his mind- 'Keep quiet. This never happened.' 

Tom laughed weakly, glaring daggers directly at Tord's back the second that the latter had turned away. 

"We really should be going," Tom attempted, reaching out to pull Matt and Edd away from Tord.

"No, no, stay! I insist." Tord's eyes briefly glowed white as he said this, and the atmosphere of the room suddenly changed- Tom also could have sworn the temperature dropped, he didn't care how cliche that sounded.

"Yeah, Tom, it's only one night. And it's Tord! What's the big deal?" Edd asked, pulling his arm from Tom, giving him an optimistic smile. 

"Can you give us a tour? It'll be way better than our wandering!" Matt was already asking, beaming down at Tord. 

Tord smiled at his two friends, crossing his arms in front of him. "Of course! Come, follow me. We can start with the bedrooms, so you know where you'll be retiring to for the night." Tord addressed Matt and Edd, glancing at Tom briefly to make sure he wasn't up to anything.

A wave of exhaustion hit Tom under Tord's short yet strong stare, and he mumbled a nearly incoherent reply, finally agreeing to the plans. He chalked the tiredness up to being caused by traveling- even if something was odd going on around here.

"Wonderful." Tord hummed, even more human-like than before. "Now, then, follow me!" He briskly turned, starting down the hallway, Edd and Matt following closely behind. Tom, although at a much slower pace, was attempting to catch up and figure out what the hell was going on at the same time- a task he deemed as annoying as walking and chewing gum.

"What rooms have you already been in?" Tord asked, a gaurded emotion in his voice. 'What is he hiding?' Tom wondered, narrowing his eyelids at the ghost.

Edd and Matt had seemed clueless to the differences about Tord- it was as if it simply wasn't possible for them to be able to see that Tord wasn't, well, Tord. He was a ghost, now- dead; and Tom was supposed to know why? Would Edd and Matt be expected to know why too? Maybe they were just ignoring it.

Tom let out an annoyed grunt, shoving his hands in his pockets and shuffling along tiredly, sifting through his thoughts. Whatever Tord did to him when he ruffled his hair, the after effects were not fun. Not to mention the pathetic threat- what could Tord manage to do to Tom in this state?

The passageways echoed the small talk Matt and Edd shared, with an occasional comment from Tord as he navigated the halls with a practiced ease. 

He's up to something, something bad. 'What is he gonna do with us?' Tom thought, watching Tord pat Edd on the back before turning to look at him.

"Tom? Are you tired?" Tord had a knowing smile on his face which only irritated the young adult further.

Tom stumbled along after Tord, Edd and Matt- he nearly lost his footing a few times. Between constantly feeling watched and the fog that seemed to slowly eat away at his mind, the very last thing Tom was trying to concentrate on was walking. 

From the sidelines, Tord's right hand men watched the display closely- and focused on becoming as "real" as possible to help the poor kid that was lagging behind. They slunk from the shadows, slowly making their way over to the one who seemed just about ready to pass out.

His thoughts came to a screeching halt as he noticed the two people; Paul and Patryk, Tom's sluggish mind supplied, must have joined the four of them, as he felt himself being propped up, albeit more exhausted than ever before- it felt like something was taking his energy away from him.

The two ghosts on both his sides seemed to materialize more, as they were actually able to hold Tom upright- they guided him along wordlessly after Tord, much to the blue-wearer's dismay. 

Unfortunately, Paul and Patryk didn't realize they were taking energy from Tom- they focused on keeping him near the group, not on their own forming bodies. 

One last thought ran through the sleepy haze of Tom's mind- 'when the hell would they be shown to the rooms they'd be sleeping in?' Shortly after he let out an enormous yawn, giving up the fight, allowing his eyelids to flutter closed.

Unable to take the sudden waves of exhaustion that crashed over him with an unimaginable force, Tom eventually gave in to sleep and slumped over onto the ground in a rather awkward and uncomfortable position, breath evening as he fell into a deep slumber. At the noise of Tom falling over, the chattering Tord, Matt and Edd shared ceased, and they turned to look to see what had made the dull thud that vibrated around the room.

Paul and Patryk gawked at Tom, before turning to Tord with twin looks of guilt on their faces, smiling warily at him. They flinched at the sound of Tom's snores, a contrast to the now-thick silence that surrounded the small party of six.

Tord took a sharp breath, creating a hissing noise through his teeth. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes, before pulling them back open- lacking pupils and irises, the eyes could be compared easily to two milky white orbs.

"Paul. Patryk." He began, voice eerily calm as though to not worry anyone- although, it had the opposite effect on Paul and Patryk, who now subconsciously straightened their backs.

"Y-Yes, Red Leader!" Both called simultaneously, causing Edd to quirk an eyebrow at the title. He kept what the two called Tord in the back of his mind, but he was sure it most likely wasn't too important. Tord had seemed normal- well, as normal as he could be in a haunted mansion.

Tord walked closer to the two, his voice becoming softer as he talked. "What was the one thing I told you not to do when humans came around?" He spoke as though he were scolding children- gently, but you could tell he was just barely holding it together.

The question was asked in a hushed tone, and at the same time it clicked in Edd's mind that these two "new" figures were by new- they were actually the two ghosts that they had all seen earlier.

"-not to take energy from the same person," Paul and Patryk seemed to be reciting something, as if they were kids who had broken a window playing baseball.

"And what did you do anyway?" Tord asked, crossing his arms. His voice had a hint of amusement, although he tried to mask all emotions, for one reason or another, Edd could not quite decide why.

The two were silent in response, staring down at Tom. If it weren't for his breathing, Edd would have thought that he was dead, with the way he was awkwardly strewn out, not responding to the conversation around him, nor the slight nudge that Tord gave the sleeping man's arm with the toe of his boot.

Tord let out a sigh, dropping his hands to his sides lazily. "Show Edd and Matt to the spare rooms," Tord instructed, "If they ask for anything else, show them if you deem it necessary. And please, do not do anything else like this?" He pleaded, gesturing to the heap on the floor.

"Yessir!"

"Sure thing, Red Leader!"

The two spirits whisked Matt and Edd away, beginning to make conversation to distract them from the strange event that had just occurred- it seemed to work, as only Edd gave a brief look over his shoulder to Tord, and that was the end of that.

Back in the hallway, Tord glanced down to Tom, clicking his tongue.

"Of course those two would accidentally take energy from you at the same time," he huffed, glancing around the room for something to lift Tom with, so he wouldn't have to use even more of the boy's energy for himself.

Upon finding nothing, Tord frowned, deciding that he had to lift Tom. If he left the man in the hallway, Edd and Matt would get suspicious- after all, he hasn't exactly explained why this had happened, and at least this way he could attempt to act like it never had.

Tord leaned down, lifting Tom with a huff. He tried to use as little of the man's energy as possible, focusing what he had already sapped on moving Tom to a bedroom. This way, he could have Tom re-coop, out of his way, and hopefully out by morning- he didn't need to be put in even more trouble after meeting the annoying Brit once again in his life- well, afterlife. 

He grumbled the entire way down the corridor, mumbling something about having to carry Tom as if he were a child.

At that moment, Tom's eyes blinked open slowly, and he blearily stared up at Tord, not entirely processing what was going on- just noting the fact that it felt like he was floating, what with Tord's hold being feather-light, or the fact that he was just floating above the ground as he moved rather than walking on it.

Tom closed his eyes again, and he sighed through his nose, earning a curious glance from Tord- the latter frowned, continuing until he reached a room, depositing Tom on the bed. Tord looked around the room, not paying attention to the paperwork and letters that were thrown about his dormitory- it didn't matter if Tom saw them, as he probably wouldn't be able to successfully explain what Tord was- and even if he did, Tord could soften the blow by telling Edd and Matt first. 

Tord smiled upon thinking about his plan; he glanced down at the snoozing Tom, chuckling although there was no hint of humor in his tone.

"Sweet dreams, Thomas," he whispered to the other, patting him on the shoulder, amused at the wince in response. He then briskly walked out of the room, careful to keep quiet.

Tord shut the door behind him, smoothing out his clothes- even he still didn't understand the boundaries on what he could and couldn't interact with were- and turned on his heel in search of Paul and Patryk, but more importantly, Matt and Edd- after all, a host did have to cater to their guests, didn't they?

Wicked grin spreading across his face, Tord laughed breathlessly as he made his way back down from where he had originally came, lights flicking off as he passed.

The lights may have gone out as he drew near them, but the mansion was anything but dark- Tord cast his own source of light, and other spirits appeared at his passing, wordlessly waving to their leader in respect as he passed, or calling out a small hello. Their leader simply nodded in response, occasionally stopping to ask certain ghosts if they had seen Paul and Patryk pass by. 

Eventually he managed to locate the two-- they had taken Matt and Edd to the dining room rather than the actual place Tord had told them to, apparently. Although it wasn't what he had ordered the two to do, Tord couldn't find it within himself to be mad- they had probably only done what Edd and Matt had requested, which he had told them to do, he supposed. He just didn't think that Matt and Edd would actually request to do anything- how wrong he had been.

Tord made his way through the halls quickly, idly looking around as he did so. He only briefly paused to open the two heavy wood doors that led into the grand dining room. 

"Hello boys, Matt, and Edd!" Tord greeted upon seeing the four sat at the far end of the table. They jumped hearing his voice, not expecting him to appear in the room.

"Hi Tord!" Matt was the quickest to recover, waving Tord over to where they were sharing conversation. "Come sit with us!"

Edd smiled, turning from Paul and Patryk to Tord, nodding along with Matt. "We should catch up more! We haven't seen each other in forever, you should tell us what we missed!" the naive insisted, pulling the chair next to him further out from the table.

Grinning, Tord complied. "... Alright. After all, there is something that I have to tell you two," the ghost admitted, moving down the long, stretching table to where the four sat. He decided that now was a good time to put his recently-thought-up plan into action- he couldn't have Tom tell Edd and Matt about his current state before he did, it would ruin his goals.

Tord flopped lazily upon the chair that Edd had held out for him, quickly propping his legs up on the table. He turned to Paul, asking for cigarette.

Edd and Matt stared at him expectantly as he placed the cigarette between his lips, briefly creating a spark using his magic with his hands, lighting the cigarette and sighing lightly. This was just routine for him- he didn't think before lighting the cigarette this way, and raised an eyebrow at Paul and Patryk's response of pure shock- their faces made him suddenly remember his guests, and he looked down at his hand, hoping that Edd and Matt hadn't noticed.

"Woah! Edd, Tord's Magic now!" The red-head exclaimed, turning to Edd with wide eyes and a childish grin of awe, confirming what Tord had hoped wouldn't happen.

Said man's mouth fell slightly, and he nearly dropped the cigarette. 'Shit,' he thought, 'I didn't think they would...'

"Tord?" Edd asked, leaning closer him and narrowing his eyes- a very non-menacing look, now that Tord inspected it. "Are... What's different about you now? Somethings definitely off, now that I really get the time to look at you!" 

Instinctively leaning back as Edd did forward, Tord attempted to pull his mouth into a smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace than anything.

"I suppose I can no longer keep this from you, eh?" Tord asked, the dry humor doing nothing to lighten the situation like he had hoped. He awkwardly talked around the cigarette in his mouth, not minding the fact that it muffled his words- perhaps the subject would just be danced around for that exact reason. He ultimately decided to remove it from his lips, and he left it crumpled on the tablecloth instead.

Edd and Matt looked confused- Tord couldn't blame them- Paul and Patryk, however, were practically disappearing back into their chairs. They've never had to tell anyone outside the army that...

"Paul! Patryk!" Tord all-but barked, snapping the two back to reality. "Calm down, men," he soothed his tone, holding up his hands in front of him. "This will not be a big deal."

"What won't be a big deal?" Matt asked curiously, moving to lean his head on his hands. He had a new sparkle in his eyes that eluded to his personality, something Tord couldn't say he was entirely used to yet- he was completely bewildered by Matt's youthful amazement and sense of wonder- however, it was a refreshing change from the normally stoic personalities he had trained in his army, he had to admit.

"Let's talk about this after dinner. You must be hungry, yes?" The topic was quickly changed by Tord- yes, he would definitely have to tell them sometime that night, but that's not to say he couldn't just push it off for a little while longer. All he had to do was tell them before Tom did- that way, it would lessen the chaotic aftermath that was sure to follow, or best case scenario, eliminate it all together. Besides, he needed even just a short moment to tell Paul and Patryk what his new plan was.

The house guests took the bait, nodding enthusiastically at the prospect of food. Matt and Edd's minds, embarrassingly, had immediately began to daydream about real meals- not the junk food and snacks they lived off of in the car portion of their trip.

Tord snapped his fingers, and a small army of red-tinted ghosts appeared around the table, awaiting instruction. They watched him with matching blank, white eyes- truly, their eyes were the only distinguishable features about them.

Matt and Edd gawked at them, staring in amazement at the spirits that appeared out of thin air. Their forms swirled and glittered, the red hues seeming to not want to conform to one shade or shape- the look was akin to that of magma, molten rock that swirled deep beneath the Earth's crust.

Red eyes glittered in sick amusement before Tord turned from the shocked reactions of Edd and Matt in favor of scanning the crowd, occasionally pulling a certain ghost to the side. Paul and Patryk began to quietly discuss with the other ghouls, seeming to relax per their leader's request, and the sudden company of their peers- not to mention, it seemed as though Edd and Matt were taking this well, so they deemed there no reason to be worried.

"...so unless I have told you otherwise, you are dismissed to your quarters," Tord was telling the small crowd, and slowly some of the partially-human looking air masses faded out, leaving nothing but small clouds of magic in their wake, and even then, those only lasted for a brief few seconds at the very most.

Enchanted, Tord's guests held their breath, not willing to be the one to speak out in this fairy-tale situation. The ghosts danced around them, whisking in all different directions, following their leader's simple order of producing food for them with a certain elegance, as if this were both dinner and a show. They moved in and out of doors that connected to the dining room, presumably into a kitchen, and delicious smells wafted out each time the doors would open.

They had to hold back the urge to applaud after their meals were placed in front of them- only two dishes were served, but the ginger and brunette didn't question why Paul, Patryk and Tord weren't eating, as they were distracted by just how hungry they actually were.

Tord stood from his chair and swung around to Paul and Patryk as his old friends began to dig into their meals. He stood himself between his two men, leaning down to murmur his plan to them without being detected-- not that he was worried, with how Edd and Matt were busy complimenting the food in between loud bites.

Kneeling down, Tord placed his hands on the shoulders of Paul and Patryk. This was a now-comfortable gesture for the three of them; ever since they found that the two of them had passed away, Tord was once more able to interact with them as normally as possible, which made the mansion seem a little less dark and dreary on certain days.

The leader looked up to make sure that Edd and Matt were distracted, before leaning forward and gaining the attention of his right hand men. He formed a grin the two knew all to well, and Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Are you gonna fill us in?" Paul's voice was hushed, and he leaned over in his seat so their company would only be able to see the back of his head, rather than his mouth- better safe than sorry, with them finding out, and whatnot. "Or are you gonna just sit there and look pretty?" He poked fun, grinning when Tord huffed at him.

"We will tell Edd and Matt before Tom does. That way, maybe they will trust me again... Although, they have all seemed very... Forgetful," Tord stressed the word, making air quotes. "Tom did not know what had happened to me. Edd and Matt don't seem to remember either."

"Really?" Patryk hummed thoughtfully, speaking louder than he should have. Tord and Paul shushed him, glancing over at Matt and Edd. The three of them breathed a sigh of relief, seeing as they were still none the wiser.

Tord gently thumped the back of Patryk's head, red swirling from where his hand connected to Patryk's hair. Patryk huffed, waving away Tord's hand, mumbling a playful "you're going to blow our cover!"

"As I was saying," Patryk continued, correcting the volume of his voice, "maybe something happened to them, too- after all, after finding this mansion, we all turned to ghosts in death." He was voicing his ideas out loud, and his colleagues watched him in interest. 

"Are you saying that the mansion is enchanted?" Paul asked, leaning his elbow on the table. "This isn't some horror novel, Patryk, you're usually the realistic one here, what's gotten into you?"

An amused snort came from Tord, and the other two peered curiously at him. "Paul, you're a ghost right at this very moment! And I've been a zombie before- trust me, this world is anything but realistic, my friend." Tord "patted" Paul on the back, before beginning again. "Besides, it is... A plausible theory," he admitted, his hand ceasing to move. 

Patryk grinned triumphantly, and Paul- with a false sense of bitterness- crossed his arms. 

"Alright, so the place is enchanted-" Speaking once more, Paul was quickly stopped by Patryk.

"I don't think it's enchanted," He cut in, placing his arms behind his neck, lounging backwards. He opened his mouth, but Paul, clearly struggling to keep a minimum volume, stopped him from speaking with a wild hand gesture and annoyed sentence.

"Alright, so before you're saying it is magic, but now you're saying its not? Make up your mind, man–!" Paul, completely exasperated, kept his voice to a low but fast whisper, yelling at his closest friend in the only way he possibly could in this situation.

"Would you both please stop acting like children, you are lucky that I keep you around." Tord scolded, fighting the grin that tried to consume his face, seeing his two closest friends from his army bickering.

"That hurts, Boss," Patryk feigned pain, placing the back of his hand across his forehead. With a chuckle, Paul followed in suit, although placing his palm against his heart and leaning back, a false sob ripping from his throat.

Sighing, albeit amused, Tord stopped Paul and Patryk before they could become louder, glancing up at Edd and Matt, cursing, seeing that they were now looking at the three of them with curious and teasing glances. Tord looked at his hands, noticing that while scolding them his arms had been moved to be around Paul and Patryk. 

Clearing his throat, Tord removed his arms from Paul and Patryk. The two watched him as he stood up, moving back to his seat. They turned to see Edd and Matt whispering, and put one and two together- snickers came from Paul and Patryk as they watched Tord's hair briefly flare up in a flame as he quickly passed Matt and Edd, presumably hearing what they were teasing him about. (Paul swore he heard Edd call a 'Gee, Tord, Didn't realize you'd replace us so soon!')

A few ghosts came forward to take the bare plates of Matt and Edd just as Tord sat himself down again, moving to address the situation.

"Edd, Matt, what I was trying to tell you before you two began to eat was-" Tord lifted a hand as he spoke, earning the full attention of both males.

The two doors of the dining room slammed open, causing the five of them to bristle- Tord, Paul and Patryk's fragile images shook, although Edd and Matt were too distracted by whoever just stormed in to notice.

"Edd! Matt! Tord's...." Tom's voice dwindled towards the end of his sentence, and he pushed himself farther into the room, turning to look at each ghost that flittered about him.

"Ah! How nice of you to join us, sleeping beauty," Tord grinned, teasing the boy. He internally swore at Tom coming back- this would make the task much harder than originally planned. He spared a look at Paul and Patryk, noticing them intently staring at him.

"What's going on here?" Tom questioned, narrowing his eyes at Tord. His energy had seemed to quickly come back, even if he was still a bit tired looking- probably spent some time snooping around the room he was put in once he woke up, Tord assumed.

"What does it look like, dipshit?" Tord asked, deadpan. A guffaw was heard from his left, and he glanced over at the thoroughly amused Paul and Patryk, before looking back to Tom with a newfound smugness.

"Tord, don't be rude!" Edd chastised, making a 'tsk' noise with his tongue against the roof of his mouth. 

"Wh- Edd, this is my house! You cannot tell me what-" Tord squawked loudly, turning to fully face Edd.

"You're still being rude to my other friend!" Edd claimed, crossing his arms. Matt laughed lightly from behind him.

"Oh, it's like you never left, Tord!" Matt exclaimed, clasping his hands together with a loud clap. This garnered the attention of Paul, Patryk and Tord-- so he remembered Tord leaving, but... What else?

This seemed to also catch the attention of Tom, as he immediately resumed from his paused stance to walking at an alarmingly fast pace towards the group. 

"Speaking of you leaving- what's going on here?" Tom asked- the second time today. Both Tord and Tom knew he had already asked about this, but now... Now they were with Edd and Matt. 

"Well... I was just getting to that," Tord addressed, glancing at his hands. "Before you had interrupted me," he hissed, glaring back up at Tom with void white eyes and a lazy smirk.

Tom scrunched his noise angrily, pulling a chair out across from Edd and Matt, the wood giving a harsh squeal against the floor- the noise caused all of them to wince, and Matt covered his ears for a short minute against the harsh noise.

"Go on, then! Don't let me stop you," Tom crossed his arms and propped his feet up on the table, pressing his lips tightly together. When Tord immediately didn't start speaking, he waved a hand in a gesture to try to attempt to hurry him up.

"Be patient, Thomas. It's not every day you tell your close friends this," Tord hummed, leaning on the table.

"To put things bluntly, I'm dead." Tord deadpanned, looking up at Edd and Matt to watch their reactions. 

"You're... Dead?" Edd seemed to be clarifying, tilting his head. 

Tord nodded, glancing at Paul and Patryk. Paul was currently holding a cigarette box out to Patryk, who was politely declining- clearly just trying to look anywhere but the actual conflict. Obnoxiously clearing his throat, Tord nodded his head to Matt and Edd.

"Yes. I am dead. Deceased. A ghost." Tom had an accomplished look on his face as Tord said this to their friends.

The two didn't seem as horrified as Tord originally projected- just confused. Their brows were furrowed, but yeah- Tord could understand why they weren't grasping the concept.

"So... Wait. When did you...?" Edd asked, making a hand gesture and sticking his tongue out. Tord chuckled drily, and all the ghosts in the room either disappeared, or- in Paul and Patryk's chase- shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Tord's death wasn't a popular conversation topic, as it was still a sore topic for the army, even if he was still in the mansion. A dead leader is a harsh blow for an army, after all, especially if that leader is one of your friends, in certain soldier's circumstances.

"Well... We didn't quite do a thorough inspection of this mansion before moving in, so..." He ran a hand through his hair, allowing his form to change as he did so, ignoring Matt and Edd's stares.

"So...?" Edd egged on, leaning forward in his seat as if this were some child's bedtime story, and not the tale of of how one of his friends passed away. Tord avoided Edd's gaze- who would want to talk about their own agonizing death?

When Tord looked down to the table and didn't answer, Tom did for him-- shocking everyone.

"He died of some super deadly mold and infection a few years back." He explained, waving a hand dismissively. He treated the whole situation as if it weren't interesting in the slightest, even yawning- although, that could have been from the lack of energy from before. Paul and Patryk's gazes darkened briefly for a moment at the way Tom treated the death- but they calmed once Tord replied, seeing bigger problems.

"You... How did you know that?!" Tord asked, eyes flashing- if Tom had found that out, he easily could have found out what Tord had done years ago.

"Ya left the papers outside your desk." Tom replied, scratching his head. "Not too hard to find, honestly." 

"You should not be looking through that stuff anyway!" Tord hissed, standing up from his chair. Upon seeing this, Paul and Patryk followed Tord's lead, standing up from their own seats and taking on defensive positions.

"Then don't leave it out in plain sight, especially after what you said to me before!" Tom replied with the same amount of venom, pushing himself up from his seat.

"Ooooh, so now you're pinning this on me? I would not even be in this situation if you had not--" Tord was cut off by Edd, who was addressing something that Tom had said.

"Wait, Tord- you spoke to Tom before?" Edd questioned, doing his best to diffuse the anger that chilled the room- literally.

"O-of course I did! Where do you think he fell to?" Tord turned to Edd, blinking rapidly.

"What did he tell you then, Tom?" Edd turned from Tord, instead choosing to ask What Tom had learned.

"Well, apparently I should have known why he was dead." Tom spoke clearly, and Tord rolled his eyes.

"Well of course you should! After all, you were informed that I died. And it is indirectly your fault. I wouldn't have had to move here if you had not convinced Edd to kick me out," Tord said bitterly, narrowing his eyes.

"Convinced me to--?" Edd was speaking to himself, and Matt finally joined the conversation.

"What do you mean? Edd didn't kick you out! You left to go to the city!" Matt exclaimed, waving his arms madly.

"What? No I did not- I got stuck rooming with those two for a couple years!" Tord raised an eyebrow, gesturing to Paul and Patryk. "You all kicked me out."

"I... Don't remember that," Edd mumbled, rubbing his head, looking to have formed a headache. He let out a small groan, and his friends watched him cautiously.

"Edd? You okay buddy?" Tom asked, beginning to walk around the table to him.

"Yeah- it's just... Something about this really isn't adding up!" Edd attempted to explain, looking grateful when Matt began to gently pat his back in an attempt to soothe him.

"So the mansion does still have an effect on them," Patryk said aloud, sharing a look with Tord and Paul. "Should we get them out...?" He moved on to ask, glancing at the three who watched them talk, clearly confused.

"Leave? But- but we just found you again!" Matt pleaded, staring at Tord. "You cant be serious... Can you?" His blue eyes glossed over, and he had a pout painted across his face.

Tord's heart clenched- although he never would admit it- seeing his long-lost friend upset at the aspect of losing him once more.

"Matt, we aren't safe here. You heard Tord- living here killed him!" Tom spoke in a low voice, a serious look on his face. 

"But- but he's still here! It's not like he's just gone. And he has cool magic now!" Matt attempted, trying to salvage their lost friendship.

"Uh-" Tord tried stepping in, looking to Paul and Patryk for support, but they looked to feel the same way that he did- There's no way he could use them like he was planning to, not when it looked like Matt seemed genuinely saddened about what they had done, even if he didn't remember doing it. And the look on Edd's face when he heard that he has kicked Tord out to this place... He genuinely looked ashamed!

"Matt... We don't know why we kicked out Tord, and I don't think we will remember- and we can't risk staying here for longer than necessary- just until the car is fixed tomorrow morning, you know that." Edd consoled him, giving him a small, reassuring smile.

"How about we just leave?" Tom asked, allowing himself one glance at Tord. The latter chuckled nervously, deflating uncharacteristically once Tom turned back to his other friends.

"You... Why don't they just visit sometimes, Red Lea- Ah, Tord? I'm sure we can find some way to clean this place up..." Paul suggested, stepping forward.

The lights in the room began to shine brighter, and Tord's form glowed a vibrant red for just a brief moment- nearly unnotciable, that's how quick it was.

Paul and Patryk still smiled in reply, knowing that Tord was even just slightly hopeful in there prospect of fixing the friendship he was forced to abandon all those years ago.

"Yes- that... That would be fine. Uh- If... If you're all interested, that is-" Tord looked from his men to Matt, Tom and finally Edd- they were all staring at him, small smiles begging to pull at the edges of Edd and Matt's faces.

"That would be wonderful." Edd practically whispered, and Tord nearly fell over at the tone he spoke in. It was a tone he hadnt heard in years- not since before he was forced out of his own home.

"Great." Tord spoke louder than necessary to fill the silence. 

Tom yawned once more, and Tord took that as a cue.

"You should all go to bed. I can fill you in on what you forgot tomorrow, as well as actual directions on how to get here from your home for when you choose to visit." Tord spoke, begging to lead the way out of the dining room.

Paul and Patryk quickly took their places at his sides, and the others followed behind. 

"We'll take you to your rooms, and then we'll speak tomorrow when you have breakfast. I will answer any last questions you may have, about... This," Tord said, gesturing to himself, Paul and Patryk.

Edd, Matt, and Tom- although still a bit reluctantly, in Tom's case- agreed, and they slowly were left one by one in spare rooms, leaving just Tord, Paul and Patryk.

The three walked to the window that looked out on Edd's car, being repaired by some of Tord's mechanics. The stars gave a faint glow that leaked into the room, beginning to be threatened by the beginnings of morning being painted in the sky- hues of orange and yellow just barely peeked shyly over the curve of the Earth in the distance.

"You really are happy to see them again, aren't you, Boss?" Paul asked, watching Tord's face carefully.

"I hate to admit it, but I am." Tord replied, looking down at Paul.

Patryk and Paul shared a smile, turning to leave as it seemed Tord would no longer be speaking that night, and needed some time alone to think things over.

It's said that a spirit trapped on Earth will be able to leave if it would like once it achieves it's one true desire, but it seemed that Tord's wasn't truly ruling the Earth, but instead staying with his friends- so it looked as though his soul would be staying to do just that.

**Author's Note:**

> hi friends! Thank you to those of you that waited patiently for this to come out, and to those of you who read this far, and who are interested enough to stick with me on this AU! A special thanks to my lovely two beta readers, and tumblr user lovelylovelyrain for letting me use their Red Army Sona for the painting scene.  
> \----  
> If you're interested in this AU, get ready to see more on tumblr at @EWGhostAU! Ask questions or submit your ideas and headcanons- I'd love to hear them! For a quicker response, you can contact me at @mattords on tumblr. Unfortunately, I don't have too much time to write, but I'll keep the AU alive on both of those accounts!


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